While the total compensation fund is an impressive $20 million,
once it’s distributed among 614,000 users, who joined the class
lawsuit against Facebook, each of them will only get $15,
according to a court settlement that was approved Monday at US
District Court in the Northern District of California.

The lawsuit was filed in 2011 by five plaintiffs, who accused
Facebook of using their personal details in its “sponsored
stories” advertisements without their permission. Around 150
million users, who “liked” a certain product or brand, would
later have their pictures and “likes” appear in the ad section of
their online friends’ pages.

The plaintiffs estimated the “sponsored stories” scheme earned
Facebook approximately $234 million between January 2011 and
August 2012, according to court filings cited by Reuters.

People who responded to an email from Facebook earlier this year
are the users who will receive the $15 payouts. About 7,000
Facebook users rejected the settlement altogether, which means
they can still bring their own legal action against the social
network.

“Although the monetary relief to each class member is
relatively small and the percentage of class members who
submitted claims is limited, the settlement as a whole provides
fair, reasonable and adequate relief to the class,” US
District Judge Richard Seeborg said in a statement regarding the
ruling.

The Judge asserted there was no proof the claimants were "harmed
in any meaningful way," pointing out that Facebook had only
manipulated the information users had already disclosed to their
friends, and had just redisplayed it to the same people in the
form of an advertisement.

Apart from paying out compensation to class members in the
lawsuit, the terms of the settlement also force Facebook to
change its “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities,”
granting users more control over their content sharing.

Facebook’s total losses from the lawsuits would be about $145
million, The Guardian cited the company’s attorneys as saying.

Facebook welcomed the end to the protracted lawsuit. "We are
pleased that the settlement has received final approval," a
Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

Child rights advocates, who argued that minors were put at risk
by having their content shared with advertisers, were not
satisfied with the settlement, stating that it did little to
protect the rights of children.